Over the weekend, I wrote about unity as it relates to us in our day. Let's now segue into this week's study of Mosiah 25-28 by looking at the cultural diversity of the people living at that time. These differences had impact on the political as well as spiritual life of these people.
The largest group in terms of population were the Lamanites. I suspect that they may have married among indigenous people to have doubled their population so quickly. I've already discussed some of their identifying characteristics, such as not knowing God, and their ongoing hatred of the Nephites. Multiply Laman and Lemuel by thousands and you will see that nothing much changed in almost 600 years. One of the leaders made a comment in General Conference a few years ago. He said that if the parents are off by a few inches, their children will be off by miles. Not only are nonbelieving parents unlikely to teach concepts and precepts they don't understand, don't accept, and don't live to their children, but they are likely to teach and model things that are inaccurate and misleading. This was the case with the Lamanites who were taught the "traditions of their fathers" until they knew nothing else.
The next largest group were the people of Zarahemla, who were descendants of Mulek, son of Zedekiah. The rights of kinghood in ancient Israel rested with the tribe of Judah. As a body, they had united with the Nephites under King Mosiah, but I'm sure there were many among them who questioned Mosiah or any Nephite's right to rule since they were of the tribe of Joseph and not Judah. Although we don't know for sure, they could have been among those who continued to lobby for a king instead of the system of judges set up by Mosiah. These were referred to as Kingsmen in the Book of Mormon. Many an apostate group who left the worship of Jehovah did so to seek the power of king. (One such man was named Amalakiah. We will meet him at a future date.)
The smallest group but the most politically and spiritually powerful were the Nephites. They had separated themselves from the Lamanites early in the history of the Book of Mormon to avoid being destroyed by those who followed the false traditions of Laman and Lemuel. They may have been chosen to lead because they were literate. At least one Nephite king, Mosiah, had the power to translate ancient records from other cultures written in a different language. The most important distinguishing characteristic was that they had taught their children in the learning of their fathers. While they needed leadership, they did not need or want a king because God was their King. They had prophets to guide their spiritual well being and to help them stay on the covenant path. On civil matters, they had a system of judges chosen from among the most righteous segment of society. The Lord governed His Church through prophets and wise men whom the prophets called.
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Imagine being Mosiah or Alma and trying to bring unity to such a diverse group of people. From this point on, the story became one of dissention and warfare as these differences poured over into violence. Among those who brought the most grief to the Nephites, both politically and spiritually, were the son of Alma and the four sons of King Mosiah. How does a parent deal with a child who has gone so far astray? How does that parent carry on with his appointed responsibilities when his own child is setting such a bad example?
Stay tuned! Likening this section of the Book of Mormon to our day is a simple task as we see groups seeking to destroy the work of God through their licentious behavior, their greed for power and wealth, and their hatred for anyone or anything that stands in their way. Sometimes all we can do is to keep on keeping on with those things we know to be true, and to pray fervently for those who have been so led astray by the values and desires of Babylon.
© May 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings
Buntin Danielson
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